Mars May Be Hiding Most Of Its "Missing" Water Underground: NASA-Funded Study

The researchers from California Institute of Technology and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) found that around four billion years ago, Mars was home to enough water to have covered the whole planet in an ocean about 100 to 1,500 metres deep.

Vast amounts of ancient water may have been trapped beneath the surface of Mars, according to a NASA-funded study which challenges the current theory that the Red Planet's water escaped into space. Evidence found on the surface of Mars suggests that abundant water flowed across Mars billions of years ago, forming pools, lakes, and deep oceans, and where did all that water go has been a matter of investigation. The new study, published in the journal Science, shows that a significant portion of Mars's water - between 30 and 99 percent - is trapped within minerals in the planet's crust. The researchers from California Institute of Technology and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) found that around four billion years ago, Mars was home to enough water to have covered the whole planet in an ocean about 100 to 1,500 metres deep.